Ghost Town (I) (2008)

Bertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts.

Director:

David Koepp

Writers:

David Koepp, John Kamps

Stars:

Greg Kinnear, Jordan Carlos, Ricky Gervais

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Greg Kinnear	...	Frank
Jordan Carlos	...	Young Husband
Dequina Moore	...	Young Wife
Joseph Badalucco Jr.	...	Accident Bystander (as Joe Badalucco)
Brian Hutchison	...	Accident Bystander
Tyree Michael Simpson	...	Sneezy Cop (as Tyre Simpson)
Julia Murney	...	Sneezy Lady
Ricky Gervais	...	Pincus
Claire Lautier	...	Upper East Side Lady
Aasif Mandvi	...	Dr. Prashar
Bridget Moloney	...	Receptionist
Raymond J. Lee	...	Greenpeace Guy (as Raymond Lee)
Joey Mazzarino	...	Food Delivery Guy
Brad Oscar	...	Day Doorman
Kathleen Landis	...	Resident

Storyline

Bertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen. That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited result.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | window air conditioner | museum | egyptian mummy | new york city | 

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Taglines:

Dr. Bertram Pincus can see you now...

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, sexual humor and drug references

Details

Official Sites:

DreamWorks [fr] DreamWorks [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

La ville fantôme

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£786,690 (UK) (31 October 2008)

Gross:

£6,370,608 (UK) (28 November 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Spyglass Entertainment, Pariah

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Beatles' "I'm Looking Through You" is used in the movie, one of the very few occasions where the original version of a Beatles song has been used in a film.

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Goofs

You will never find a Hindu named Jehangir. In India at least it can be a name for a Parsee or a Muslim.

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Quotes

Frank Herlihy: [regarding Gwen] You're in love with her.
[Dr. Pincus walks away]
Frank Herlihy: You are.
[sighs, slaps his forehead]
Frank Herlihy: I knew it. That little Grinch heart of yours actually started beating and now you want to take it back to your cave and crush it with a rock. That's what you wanna do.
Bertram Pincus: I quit.
Frank Herlihy: You can't quit. I'll make your life a living hell.
Bertram Pincus: [stares at Frank] It already is.
[Frank walks away]

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Crazy Credits

Directly after the end titles fade to black, there is a brief outburst of near-hysterical laughter.

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Connections

Referenced in Life's Too Short: Episode #1.1 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Which Way Your Heart Will Go"
Written & Performed by Mason Jennings
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with SONY BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Delightful Little Film!!!

Ricky Gervais, the star of the British "The Office" and "Extras", is someone you wouldn't really expect to be on the big screen. Yet here he is, delivering an hilarious and heartfelt performance in what one would usually consider the most clichéd of genres: the romantic comedy.

In Ghost Town, Gervais plays Bertram Pincus, a socially awkward prick of a dentist who dies for seven minutes while going in for a routine colonoscopy. Through this miraculous experience he gains the annoying ability to see ghosts- all of whom want him to finish their business on Earth. In particular is Frank, the unfaithful husband of Gwen, a woman who lives in Bertram's building. Frank needs Bertram to separate Gwen from her new self-righteous do-gooder fiancé, and if Bertram can accomplish this Frank will make all the other ghosts go away.

Greg Kinnear and the wonderful Tea Leoni round out the lead characters as Frank and Gwen. All three (Gervais, Kinnear, and Leoni) get big laughs and are utterly charming. Indeed, it is no overstatement to call Ghost Town riotously funny- the laughs come big and often. Too often it turns out, because when Ghost Town tries to stray into the more dramatic or tender areas of the story it feels somewhat awkward and forced. The mistake was made of focusing too much on broad hilarity, so that when the movie really attempts to focus on story it seems strange that the humor is suddenly gone. The film never becomes anything more than just a silly little trifle.

Yet there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. What we get is a thoroughly entertaining tale with a fascinating lead character. Add in the performances of the three leads and you have a fully satisfying movie-going experience. I would probably give this film a 7.5 rating, but since that isn't allowed and I'm not feeling an 8, I'll go with- 7/10 stars!!!

Jay Addison